LVCC REPORT: Weather wins again as match abandoned

The covers ruled the roost again at the Ageas Bowl as the umpires abandoned any hope of play on day four after their 1.30pm inspection. Yorkshire take 7 points and Hampshire 6.

(PHOTO: Joe Root hits a career best 222 not out as Yorkshire fight hard)

There appeared to be no agreement on a contrived finished anyway, however the rain ended any faint hopes of anything but a draw.

With only 106 overs possible over the four days it is the least bowled in a Championship fixture at the ground.

The result sees Yorkshire in second place in the second tier, but they have now played one game more than Kent in third who are only seven points behind.

The Tykes are 25 points behind leaders Derbyshire who they play in Chesterfield from Wednesday.

If Yorkshire are not able to overturn Derbyshire let’s just hope that we can blame a great Derbyshire display or flaws in Yorkshire’s performance. Anything, as long as we are not blaming the weather.

1,429 overs have now been lost from Yorkshire’s Championship summer. That’s 41.34% of a very soggy season that has been completely unplayable.

I would hope that promotion can be earned rather than dictated by overhead conditions. Teams that dodge the weather best are not necessarily the best sides. As Jason Gillespie has told me all season, there is nothing they can do about it. But to me that’s the big frustration.

DAY THREE MATCH REPORT

Joe Root batted for six-hours-and-twenty-four minutes, faced 270 balls and collected 26 fours and 3 sixes as he steered Yorkshire from deep trouble to 350-9 declared almost single handedly.

It was a masterful knock which showed serious character on a wicket that assisted the bowlers and was a marathon of concentration permeated by rain breaks and wickets falling at the other end.

Earlier, Gary Ballance added two runs to his overnight score before being caught in the slips by Liam Dawson off James Tomlinson for 19. That ended a stand of 67 for the fourth wicket and saw Yorkshire 95-4.

Unfortunately only 11 overs were possible before heavy rain returned at 11.55am when Yorkshire were 103-4.

Play resumed at 1.40pm with 11 overs lost and Anthony McGrath fell for 5 to Dimitri Mascarenhas to the fifth ball of the afternoon when he was caught behind. Richard Pyrah fell for a duck when he drove a return chance in Mascarenhas’s next over and the Tykes were 108-6.

A short sharp shower saw another three overs lost at 123-6. The seventh wicket stand of 53 in 12.3 overs ended when Azeem Rafiq (29) shouldered arms to one that nipped back a long way from Kabir Ali.

Root went from 98 to 101 with a single that then saw two otherthrows, but it didn’t matter. It was a herculean effort from the classy right-hander reaching three figures in 176 balls with 14 fours amidst rain breaks, excellent bowling and was an superb effort of technique and concentration.

Root then guided Tomlinson through mid-wicket to bring up Yorkshire’s 200 and the first batting bonus point. With Steve Patterson (37) Root added 121 for the eighth wicket as Yorkshire showed genuine grit and talent.

Steve Harmison made 2 and Moin Ashraf was 4 not out when Yorkshire declared with an unlilkely 4th batting bonus point secured.

Root was on 168 when Harmison departed but he farmed the strike brilliantly, struck 21 from a single Kabir Ali over, including 2 sixes, and he raced through his fourth fifty in only 24 deliveries. He took 17 runs from a Tomlinson over before Yorkshire declared. This lad is already special, but he could become extraordinary.

By The close Hampshire were 39-0 and trailing by 311 runs.

JAMES BUTTLER

DAY TWO MATCH REPORT

With only 26 overs played on day two after a first day washout, Yorkshire made 83-3 before the Southampton rain returned shortly before lunch on Thursday.

It looked as if it was going to be tough going on a greenish surface and when James Tomlinson trapped Adam Lyth in front for 2 that task of batting first after losing yesterday’s toss got no easier.

Phil Jaques was dropped by Simon Katich at slip when on 12, but had not added further when he wafted at Kabir Ali and was caught behind. The next ball Michael Bates snaffled another catch when Jonny Bairstow edged Ali behind and Yorkshire were reeling at 28-3.

Gary Ballance (17*) joined Joe Root (46*) and added an unbeaten 55 for the fourth wicket in 15 overs before bad light forced the played off seven minutes before the scheduled lunch interval. Root had been particularly impressive notching 6 fours as he held the Tykes together.

Unfortunately play was unable to resume in the afternoon session as the rain returned and never went away.

With only 26 overs bowled in this game so far it now means that just over 40% of Yorkshire’s season has been lost to the weather.

JAMES BUTTLER

DAY ONE REPORT

Yorkshire lost the toss and were asked to bat first on a wicket with a tinge of green and with dark clouds looming overhead.

Just as play was about to commence the black cloud that seems to have followed the Tykes promotion push of late returned and subsequent rain meant no play was possible on day one.

Inspections brought about a revised 1.45pm and then 4pm start times, but the rain kept returning.

Let’s hope for better tomorrow when you can follow Yorkshire’s progress on the website or on the YCCC Twitter feed @Yorkshireccc from 11am.

JAMES BUTTLER

MATCH PREVIEW

After the thrilling FLt20 group campaign we swap coloured clothing for whites as Yorkshire return to LV- County Championship action against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl from Wednesday.

It seems like ageas, sorry ages, since Yorkshire left the field after only 34 overs were possible at Colwyn Bay against Glamorgan.

That rain-soaked draw saw Yorkshire take their half-term break in third place, level on points with Kent. Both sides are 121 points behind leaders Derbyshire. Yorkshire’s opponents this week started the campaign as joint favourites for a top-two promotion slot with the Tykes, but currently sit in fifth place, just 9 points behind.

Whichever sides adapts quickest to the different pressures of the four-day game will steal the march into the last half of the summer. Both sides have confirmed their places in the FLt20 quarter-finals so there is no shortage of confidence in either camp.

YORKSHIRE SQUAD

Andrew Gale (hip) and Ryan Sidebottom (calf) miss out due to injury. Phil Jaques captain’s the team in Gale’s absence and Steve Harmison, just in on a month’s loan from Durham, is set to make his Yorkshire debut.